AMBER ROMANCE

Amber romance

When the heart knows

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN





When she came to, she was tied to a chair and the girl stood over her with a gun.
“She is awake, mother”
Mother? When did her mother return and where was Mrs. Ekpo?
The house keeper came round to look at Nma with a sneer
Mrs. Ekpo? Nma couldn’t believe it
“What is the meaning of this Mrs. Ekpo?” Nma asked angrily
“I’d say it is pretty obvious madam” she replied.
“Untie me this minute” Nma struggled
“If I were you I would stay put” the girl touched her cheek “This is your last moment on earth, I would love to go peacefully”
The gravity of the situation dawned on Nma then. She looked around and saw in the living room all her boxes parked. No way, this was not happening, she thought. The mad woman and her psycho niece were going to kill her. The fear she felt then was earth shattering. She thought of what do, there was no one to help her, she was alone. She felt the fear. She stifled it. Fear will not let her think; she needed all wit about her if she was going to survive this horror. But who would save her? Uche had already left; she didn’t think he was coming back. Helen would not think anything amiss if she didn’t show up today. It was all up to her if she was going to stay alive. Keep them talking her mind said to her, ask for explanation. She needed to stall for time, not that anyone was coming to save her but the longer she stayed alive the better for her
“Why are you doing this? Mrs. Ekpo what’s going on?”
“Shut up” the girl said to her smacking her on her cheeks
“No, don’t” the woman said to her. “She wants an explanation, let’s give her some honey, it is the least we can do before she dies”
“I have been in Uche’s employment for like forever ever since he left home. We have worked hard for him, took care of all these beautiful things for him, made sure he was well fed and clean”
“I imagine he paid you well for it”
“Oh! He did” she answered
“But not in the way that mattered or that we wanted” the girl said
“We had a plan that once my daughter Is of age he would marry her”
Nma was taken aback “Your daughter?”
“Yes I convinced my sister that living in a remote place would not be good for a growing girl and she shouldn’t tell Uche which of us she belongs to”
“I see but why do think Uche would marry your daughter”
“Let’s say we had an agreement” the mother smiled at her, Nma could see clearly now the evil on her face, how could Uche have been so gullible. He was always very perceptive, how did he not see right through this witch.
“What kind of an agreement did you have with him?”
“Oh well” she smiled
“I don’t know why we are wasting time talking to her, we should do away with her before someone comes”
“Patience honey, patience, I want to savor this moment”
“My sister asked him when I decided that my beautiful daughter go to school from his home and he agreed, he thought it was a good decision, what was it he said”
“That she would be able to watch over me and turn me into a good person” the daughter supplied
“Only that he forgot to say a good wife for him but I know that was what he wanted but didn’t want to say it”
“You were not in his mind; you couldn’t have known what he was thinking”
“What about the way he used to look at me, like I was the finest thing, the most valuable treasure he has”
These people were sick, and Nma was sick to her stomach but she needed all the time she could get, she prayed to God to save her somehow.
“If he looked at you that way, he wouldn’t have had any need for me…”
“Yes that was until he met you, of course there were other women, but they were never a threat, right from the first time we saw you, we knew you were trouble so we planned. We are clever, we had a plan A and when it failed, here we are with plan B”
“Enough talking mother, who will take the shot” the daughter asked taking one of the cushion pillows
Alarmed Nma searched for something to say to distract them.
“Uche will have both of hanged if you do this, you know him”
To her surprise, they began to laugh, she was breathing heavily and she was very frightened but at least they were no longer talking of who will take the shot.
The daughter waved the divorce papers at her “He will be glad we got rid of you” she smiled at her
“Then there is no need to kill me I will just sign the papers and leave.”
“Do you think we are dumb, he will not let you go, we know that?”
“But the papers”
“Would have been enough, if you didn’t get pregnant, if we let you go, he will somehow learn of your child and he will come after you, that we won’t have”
Nma felt her spirit fall, her unborn child, Uche’s baby. The poor thing wouldn’t have a chance at life before it would be killed. No way she cried and prayed harder for anyone, anyone.
“If only you had stayed away after we used that Angela, none of this would have happened”
Her head snapped up, “You didn’t think he invited her, did you?” they both laughed, “I was always nice to her because I knew she was not a threat, I was the one who told her to come and threatened my sister to go through with plan or we would kill you and pin it on her. So  I told Angela this might be her last chance to get Uche back”
“You didn’t know I was coming over” Nma told the mad woman
“Oh but I knew, Mr. Uche hinted it when he called from the airport, he asked if you were there and the plan got all better then”
“So my dear” the woman walked up to her daughter and took the gun, “We will dispose of your body and boxes make it look as if you left”
Nma didn’t say anything; her mind was back to the morning when she had seen Uche and Angela together. All these while he was saying the truth and she didn’t believe him? As a result she had lost him because she chose to believe Angela over the man who loved her. She felt hot tears run down her cheek, now she was going to die for it. She felt she deserved it. But their baby didn’t deserve to die too, he or she was innocent of all these. If there really was a God in Heaven, she prayed this was the time to show her. She prayed to God to save her for the sake of her baby. Nma gave a shriek when she felt the pillow on her fore head. So this was it, the end of her. No one would wonder what happened to her, but someone will figure it out because they all know she would never leave her business.
She squeezed her eyes. Her heart pounded in her chest. What wouldn’t she do to look into the eyes of the man she loved before she died, to apologize to him for distrusting him? She prayed in that final moment that Uche would find someone who would love him the way she did. She also remembered her mother, if only she had not been too stubborn to forgive her and she forgave her there and then. And waited, breathing each air with relief thinking each one would be the last. She heard the click of the gun as the same time she heard the bang on the door.

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Always yours
Chioma Onuoha